Tuning a

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Tuning a

you will HATE your life if you tune it that way, im not sure about how you could get the sound you want but that is not it. I think a lot of what made those pianos sound the way the did was harder hammers but im not sure

yeah, I'm not convinced either that the detuned is the only reason for the honky-tonk timbre.... well if is not possible, ... regrettable

What made old honky-tonk pianos sound the way they did was the way they were cared for - which was not at all. They were played a lot and never tuned or voiced, so the hammers would wear down, get harder and harsher, and the strings get get further and further out of tune. That's all a honky-tonk bar piano is. Now people have emulated this "effect" in what is called a "tack piano", where they basically stick metal objects on the hammers to create a harsh, metallic sound. Glenn Gould thought it sounded like a harpsichord. :happy:

Read more: Tack piano - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I made a quick computer simulation,

Honky-TonkPitch.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

There're two piano generators playing equally

then the 2nd with a raise of 5 cents.... It sounds good...

it could work in real life.... I think I'm going to test with a few keys first, if not, I'm going to tune them all normally.

FYI, if you decide create a 'tack' piano, get used to it... because you've destroyed your piano for good.

yes I'll get more info, but I don't think raising a few cents some strings constitute a risk for the piano, I'll be careful but I don't think nothing bad could happen

... or you could try that mandolin rail mentioned in the article.

hey SYS65,

I don't remember where but someone once told me the way that ragtime (honky-tonk) pianos got their sound was by removing the padding that hit the strings. As you know a piano is made up of metal chords that are hit by a wooden mallet-type thing that is covered in a cloth padding. By taking off the cloth padding, only the wood hits the metal cords, thus giving you a honky-tonk sound.

Hope that helps,

Mathieu

That's the same ideas as the Tack Piano... just less severe. Tacks are metal, the hammers are wood. You'll get a better effect with tacks, but either way you're ruining your hammers. :ermm:

I think I will do the "detuned" method only, because there is no risk of damage doing that, (actually I think I will move down the string, (1 of the 3 only) not move up .....but modifying the hammers is out of question, I certainly won't do that.

That's my second piano in quality, so I can make some experiments but not so drastic, besides, the tuning matter is something I'm used to do, but the other mechanism and material no, I don't know if I could re-make the hammer cloth in case of damage.

I already hear that moving 1 string is enough, I just have to tune the whole piano perfectly and then move down 1 string of each key... I saw I can't reach the honky-tonk timbre at the frist attempt.

It doesn't sound 100% Honky-tonk but good enough for having a good funny piano at home...

If it works fine...I can open my own saloon :) with a few nice ladies like this one:

what do you think ?

On 5/20/2009 at 3:57 AM, YC26 said:

... or you could try that mandolin rail mentioned in the article.

 

It might provide a convenient and secure way to store or display your mandolin, keeping it easily accessible while also protecting it from damage.